Jonathan's Approach to Decorating

Many people have been asking me to do in-home decorating consultations, so instead of criss-crossing the country making house calls, I thought I would share my approach to redecorating to at least get you started in the right direction.

First, let me say what you shouldn't do.

DON'T THINK IN TERMS OF A PARTICULAR STYLE, like having a modern living room or a traditional bedroom. These definitions are too broad to work with, and you will end up with something very generic.

DON'T REVOLVE AROUND A COLOR SCHEME. Basing your whole room on a specific color combination is too limiting. A room should have a blend of colors, not be all matchy-matchy with one or two. You also end up buying hideous furniture and accessories just because they're the right shade of teal or whatever.

How do I approach redecorating?

GO FOR THE UNEXPECTED. Think outside the box for something surprising and unorthodox. Put things where they don't belong. Like an old refrigerator as an armoire. Or a medicine cabinet as an entryway mirror. Don't go the conventional way. For inspiration, shop in places you normally wouldn't. Recently, I was looking for off-beat ways to decorate my office. Instead of going to a furniture store or a design studio, I just walked around Home Depot and discovered blue astroturf, which turned out to be absolutely wild on the walls.

IMAGINE THAT YOUR HOME IS A MOVIE SET. I've talked on the website about my philosophy of "living life as if it were a movie." Here is how it applies to decorating. Ask yourself, what movie (or television show) do you want to be living in? Is it a Merchant-Ivory period picture set in the English countryside? The Southern colonial setting of a Tennessee Williams potboiler? Or is it the Jetsons, with its futuristic yet retro sensibility? Go ahead, pick your own movie. Thinking in terms of a movie or a movie style will help you visualize what your ideal home would look like. It will aid you in choosing colors, wall coverings, furniture, accessories, everything. Just close your eyes and imagine that movie. This approach is much richer and gives you something more tangible to work with than just saying you want to go modern or antique.

A related, but simpler, approach to the "movie" philosophy is to think of each room like a specific location. For instance, I wanted my bedroom to look like an upscale New York hotel room. You may want your living room to look like a medieval throne room (I know someone who did), or your dining room to look like a Moroccan bazaar. Again, putting your vision in concrete terms gives you more to work with.

ASPIRE. Redecorating is a makeover. You are re-inventing yourself, and your home, into a more stylish, more spectacular version of the old self. So dream. Aim to decorate above your current level of style. It's the same thing as dressing for success. When you wear a perfectly tailored outfit that looks like a million bucks, you feel different. People start treating you with more respect, and soon your life really is better and you're having brunch with Julia Roberts. Redecorating is just like that, my friends. Let's be honest. I used to be poor yellow trash with plastic carpet runner on my stairs, but I remade my home into a designer showcase, and now I'm on television with a worldwide following on the web.
This is the life!!